A Rare Ruby (42 page)

‘What can I say?’

‘There’s nothing to say. Ruby, about Danny . . .’

Ruby froze. Was he going to take him away?

‘I know it’s a lot of work for you and your family. If it gets too much, you will tell me, won’t you?’

‘Yes, but he’s no trouble.’

‘Not at the moment. At what age will he be able to start school?’

‘He can go when he’s four and a half.’

‘You’ve got a couple of years yet then.’ He picked up his trilby.

‘You wouldn’t let him go to Mrs Anderson, would you?’

He twirled his hat round in his hand. ‘You can be very sure about that.’

As he left Ruby thought how lucky Beth had been. Len Thompson loved her and her son and was prepared to look after Danny, but for how long? What if another young lady ever came into Mr Thompson’s life?

 

February was cold and wet. Although Ruby was warm in Beth’s coat she was very depressed as she hadn’t seen Ernie at all. Had he gone away without saying goodbye?

When Ruby got home one evening she found Tom upset. ‘What’s up with you?’

‘Nothing.’

He was now at school and Ruby thought that was the reason he was so down in the mouth. ‘I’ll help you with any homework you’ve got. At least school keeps you busy and out of mischief. Where’s Dad and Danny?’ she asked, taking her hat and coat off. She ran her fingers through her hair.

‘Dad’s taken him up to see Mr Thompson. He’s been there a long while.’

‘Oh, right. Shall I make a cuppa?’

‘Ruby, the police have been here. They’ve got Mr Cox.’

‘
What?
’

‘That’s why Dad’s up the pub. He’s gone to ask what we’ve got to do. I’ve got to go as a witness. I don’t want to go. I’m frightened.’

Ruby sat down. She had known that this would happen one day. ‘I’m sure everything will be all right. Mr Thompson is very clever and he’ll help you all he can.’

‘But what about the money? Will I go to prison?’

‘I can’t answer that. I know it’s wrong, but I don’t think you should tell anyone about the money.’

‘But Mr Cox will.’

‘Let’s wait till Dad gets back, he may have some ideas.’ Ruby played with the spoon in the sugar bowl. Things had been getting a little easier for all of them. Although they should be saving the rent money, they had decided, after a lot of discussion, to spend it. Tom was at school; her father was at work and happy. Danny was a good boy and they enjoyed having him. Now this had to happen and all the worries had come flooding back.

When Ruby heard the key in the lock she hurried to the front door.

‘Well, what’s going to happen?’ she burst out, as soon as she saw her father.

Thomas manoeuvred the pram into the passage. Her father was one of the few men who didn’t mind being seen pushing a pram; he happily took it up to the pub to see Len or across the road to Milly’s. In fact he was rather proud of it as everybody knew the circumstances and would often stop and talk to him. ‘I’ll tell you in a mo. Let me get in first.’

Ruby took Danny out of the pram and followed her father into the kitchen.

‘You’re not to worry, son,’ he said to Tom who was looking at him with large frightened eyes. ‘Len is going to see about it. He’ll try and find out if you can see the magistrate in private and not have to go into the court. I think Len’s got a lot of friends in high places.’

‘What did the policeman say when he came here?’ asked Ruby.

‘He just told us that Cox was at the police station and Tom here might be wanted as a witness.’

‘Did he say when?’

‘No. But they’ll let us know.’

‘I don’t want to go. I don’t want to see him, they’ll find out it was all my fault.’

‘All you’ve got to do is tell the truth, son.’

‘But . . .’ He looked at Ruby and his tears fell.

Ruby sat next to her brother and put her arm round his shoulders.

‘Why did he hit Beth?’ asked Thomas, settling in his armchair and unlacing his boots.

Tom looked at Ruby.

Ruby touched her locket. What could she say? ‘Dad, I don’t think you want to know.’

‘Look, I’m better now, and as his father I should know what went on. What if I get called to the witness stand?’

‘Why should you?’

‘They might want to know what sort of bloke Cox was.’

Tom ran from the room.

Ruby stood up ready to follow him but her father told her to sit down.

‘Len told me he thought Cox might have been . . .’ He stopped and silently rolled a cigarette.

Ruby looked nervously at the kitchen door. ‘I should go to Tom.’

‘I know the old man was always looking at you.’

Ruby’s head shot up. ‘Who told you that?’

‘Your mother. She was worried about it. I was going to have a word with him, but you know how scared she was of losing this place. Mind you, I don’t know what’s going to happen now Cox won’t be around. He’s got to have some relation ready to crawl out of the woodwork and lay claim to this property.’

‘Mum told you?’ said Ruby, ignoring the last part of her father’s speech.

‘Yes. We did have conversations about you both, you know. I know it seemed we couldn’t talk, but we was very close. Ruby, tell me, did he touch Tom, you know, in an over-friendly way?’

‘Let me get Tom.’

‘All right.’

Ruby banged on the lav door. ‘Tom. Tom. Come out. We’ve got to tell Dad the truth.’

Tom opened the door. ‘I can’t.’

‘I think you’d better.’

In the kitchen Tom sat at the table opposite Ruby.

‘Look, son. You don’t have to be shy. Remember I was in the army and all sorts of funny things went on with some of the blokes. Some of ’em even committed suicide over it, but for you there’s nothing to be ashamed of.’

Tom looked from Ruby to his father with wide staring eyes.

‘Dad. You won’t hit me, will you?’

‘Why should I hit you?’

Ruby closed her eyes. How she wished he didn’t need to know the truth.

‘Well? I’m waiting.’

Tom stuttered, then looked at his sister despairingly.

‘Ruby, you tell Dad.’

Ruby sighed. ‘Dad. You know how you got upset with Tom over that coal business?’

‘What coal - oh, that, what’s that got to do with this? That was months ago.’

‘Well, our Tom got in with the wrong lot.’

Thomas looked at his son. ‘What have you been up to? Have you been stealing from Mr Cox? Is that it?’

‘No. No,’ yelled Tom. ‘It was him what pinched my money and he said he was gonner tell the police and Beth said she’d see to it and that’s when he hit her and . . .’ He put his head in his hands and wept.

Thomas sat looking at them both, bewildered. ‘What money?’

Tom didn’t look up. ‘Money I pinched,’ he mumbled.

‘You’ve been pinching money?’

Tom nodded. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

‘Who from?’

‘Anybody who left it about.’

‘How much was it?’

‘Twenty-five shillings.’

Ruby gasped. She didn’t know it was that much.

‘That’s a lot of money, son. So how did Mr Cox find out about it?’

‘He found me hiding place in the lav.’

‘You knew all about this?’ her father said to Ruby.

She nodded. ‘Not how much and not till Beth was in hospital.’

‘But you didn’t think you could tell your father?’

‘We were worried what you might do to Tom.’

‘Am I such a bad father? I know I’ve let you down, but this . . .’

‘What could we do?’

‘I was only doing it to help,’ sobbed Tom. ‘We didn’t have any money and I wanted us to have a nice Christmas and Freddie Porter said it—’

His father took a quick intake of breath. ‘Freddie Porter.’ He stood up and Tom cringed.

‘Don’t hit me. Don’t hit me,’ he cried out.

‘How could you get mixed up with scum like the Porters? Do you know who his father is?’

Tom shook his head. ‘I only know he’s in prison.’

‘That’s where you’ll finish up, my boy, messing about with that lot.’

It was Ruby’s turn to take a quick breath. ‘Tom, how could you?’

Tom was shaking with fear when his father put his hand on his shoulder.

‘Don’t worry, son. I ain’t gonner hit you. I think you’ve more than learnt your lesson. You’ll have to live with Beth’s death for the rest of your life and what for - a few shillings?’

‘What you gonner tell the police?’ asked Ruby.

‘I’ll tell them that Cox was going to interfere with my son and his friend stepped in to defend him.’

‘But that’s lies,’ said Ruby, shocked.

‘I know. But are lies worse than murder?’

‘No. I suppose not. But ain’t it against the law to lie under oath?’

‘Yes. Yes, it is, but if it means it will save my son from being put away, then I think it’ll be worth it. After all, it’s only the three of us who know the truth - isn’t it?’

Both Tom and Ruby nodded vigorously.

‘Well, let’s keep it that way.’

Ruby was seeing her father in a very different light. He had changed. He was being assertive. He was in charge now.

‘When’s Mr Thompson going to the police station?’

‘Tomorrow. Now, I think it’s well past this little lad’s bedtime.’

Ruby looked at Danny who had been quietly sitting on the floor playing with his horse and cart.

‘Has he had his tea?’

‘Yes. I gave it to him before we went out.’

Ruby picked Danny up and kissed him. ‘You’re always wet or stinky. Come on, bed.’

‘Ruby, kiss,’ he said as he touched her face with a chubby hand. His grin was something that would melt any heart.

‘Dad, should we take Danny to court?’

‘Len thinks so. When the jury sees him and what Cox has robbed him of, he don’t think Cox’ll stand a chance of getting away with it.’

‘Will he hang?’ asked Tom.

‘Looks like it.’

Tom shivered. ‘That’s two people that’ll die cos of me.’

‘Tom, you mustn’t think like that,’ said Ruby. ‘He shouldn’t have hit Beth.’

But Tom couldn’t see it that way.

 

After Ruby had put Danny to bed she went over to the dairy. She had to talk to someone and as usual it was Milly who was prepared to listen.

‘Poor Tom,’ said Milly when Ruby told her the police had got Mr Cox. ‘What’s gonner happen to your place?’

‘I don’t know. Milly, I’m so worried, you see we’ve been spending the rent money. I know I should have kept it to one side, but it’s so tempting to see it sitting there in the rent book, and once you start . . .’

‘Well, don’t worry about it, I’m sure something will turn up. After all, I can’t see Mr Thompson letting you finish up on the street, not all the while you’ve got young Danny to look after.’

‘I hope you’re right. But I don’t want him to think I’m only doing it so we’ll always have a roof over our heads.’

‘Course he won’t.’

‘I really love that little ’en. He makes us laugh. And he’s been such a tonic for Dad. He’s completely changed, you know.’

‘I know, and I’m happy for you.’

‘I’d better get back. Thought I’d just let you know how things were.’

‘Thanks.’

As Ruby walked back across the road her thought went to Ernie. He must have gone to Scotland. Why hadn’t he told her? Would she have found someone as friendly as Milly to talk to if she had gone with him? What were his mother and sisters like? Would they have liked her? All this was wishful dreaming. Ruby knew she had more pressing problems at the moment.

 

On Monday when Ruby walked into the factory Mrs Watson called her to one side.

‘Ruby. You are going into the finishing room today.’

‘Thank you. Will it be for long?’

‘I think we could let you go in there permanently. For a young girl your work is very good. Would you like that?’

‘Yes, please.’ She liked the women in there; they were far nicer than Florrie and her friends. Lately, as she’d been wearing Beth’s coat to work, they hadn’t missed a day commenting on it, always wanting to know where she’d got it from.

As Ruby and Mrs Watson walked to the finishing room she turned to Ruby and said, ‘I wonder if you know what has happened to Ernest? I know you two were friendly and he hasn’t been here for weeks now. He did say something about his mother going to Scotland, but he said he wasn’t going with her. I do hope he’s all right.’

‘I haven’t seen him.’

‘I pray he’s looking after himself. I imagine with his mother away he doesn’t have to worry about collecting washing now.’

‘No, I don’t suppose he does.’

‘Does he have a job?’

‘I don’t think so, he would have told me. I think he must have gone to Scotland with his mum and sisters.’

‘Yes, that could be it. If he should write to you, remember me to him. He was a nice lad, always polite.’

‘I will.’ Ruby didn’t think she would ever hear from Ernie again. If he was in Scotland he was going to lead a very different life to being here in Rotherhithe pushing a pram full of other people’s dirty washing. She sighed. She had read about Scotland and it sounded wonderful, full of lakes and mountains. But it was and always would be just pictures in a book and a place on the map.

 

It was a Wednesday when the letter arrived to tell them the preliminary hearing for the case against Mr Cox was going to be on Monday 13 February. Ruby went to see Mrs Watson to ask for that day off.

‘You’d better come into the office.’

Nervously Ruby followed Mrs Watson.

Ben Stone was sitting at a desk and looked up when they walked in. ‘Hello there, it’s Ruby Jenkins, is it not?’

She nodded.

The door opened and Frank Stone walked in. He nodded to Ben and Mrs Watson. ‘What we got here, trouble?’